Vehicles



Fig. 1.

HsM. GRINNELL. TRAFFIC SIGNAL FORVEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED OCT-15191B. ,315,301 Patented Sept. 9,1919. V

2 SHEETS SHEET I.

' INVENTOR Harg/MGrinnll. :03 BY a Airo alzv H. M. GRINNELL. mrnc' smrmron v H|cLEs..

APPLICATION FILED 0CT- 15 IBM}.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR Harry M. Grinnell.

III!

2 9,044 ATT ,RNEY

"Be it known that I, HARRYM. GRINNELL,

ing is a specification.

My invention relates to tmliic sig'hels ztncl consists of aficleviceintended for mounting upon Vehicles; particularly upon mmebilesyfonthepurpose of indicating the'intention ofthe driver withfferenee to tufh-f st pp n nd er y ed Pr v t ing H possibilityoffcollijsions.

2t device which will secure the ebovejre sults enol which shellbe simpleendfoheapj. in construction, convenient operation, and Whieh may bereadily installed upon me chines of various m kes and types of con hespecifie features of niy inii ention which I deein to heQneW petentelolewill be hereinztftef described and then payticnlerly defined by theeleins which tenni nete'thisspeeification.

111 the eccomp enyl shown my invention in type of constrnoe tion which Inow prefer;

' Figure "1 is transverse se t io f an [automobile top, showing myinyentieh applied thereto and its relation to the ed l' o ft t Of theautomobil Fig? 218 View f my devic taken from e side of th can h Fig. 3is e longitudinal section through the device, showing its Constructionand manner of operation.

Fig, 4L is enelevetion showing, on at larger scale, one end of my devlceits relainon to the entomfobile top end perticiilai ly the manner inwhich lhev'e provided 01 with draLWel and extension ofthe tergetwhentheside eurtains are in use.

Fig. 5 is an exterior View of the inain tiihe extent of one showing theohmgecter 1 and of the guiding slots.

Fig. 6 is a viewof tu be showing a modified manner of con structing theguiding slot.

Fig. 71 is eflongituclinal section showing another modified type ofconstmction in which the guiding and turning member the target, 1splaced on the target stem.

The ob'eot of niy 'nventionis to pi'ovitle lg wing-g I ha a portionlofsimilar TRAFFIG-rS IGNAL FOR VEHICLES, Y i

specifihation of Letterslatent. e ep ;g,,19 9; Applicatioln l a otobeirit 1913i seris 258,265. i

w PATENT OFFICE y HARBYM. enmnntn, 0F SEATTLEQWASHINGTQNW i of Fig.7. AT

mounting the same from Wind shielcl in taken the point j applying one ofthe operating handles tdthe reciprocating tel" posits end (6ftheclevice.

Fig. 11 1s ja similenseotion the pp nal to others iipon the road ofenintention to" turn 111 one d rect on 01f the other, the correspondintergetf is projectedso es to show plainly roinbothgfiont mer er; itsdoes the the intended course.

lision and also indicating tof treffie officials.

target 10; mountiiigoneof theseja t one side; l of thee ntoinobile andthepthejn at the oppo site side end henfitis desired-t0 give dsig:

target 1 in Fig. 1, thereby giving warning; 'Whieh Woi1ld preventprobability of col 1 When inilsetheetergetsl loaf-e not in use they ei'efyvithdmvvn to lie Within the outer margins of the automobile top and tooccupy horizontal planes; as is shoWnb-y thetztrget 10 in Fig. 1, and bydotted lines at 12, for the otheitaiget, i

Atube 2 is provided of asize Within which the sternsll of thetargets-may snugly fit slide. This tube 2 ofsnoh ztjlength that, Withthe targets in withdtelwnlposition,

the total length of the tube anti the targets is not greater thanthefwidth of the eutonlo bile top. fWhile thisis e condition which Imuchprefer to secure, fo the reasolifthat the targets arethen more fullyout of sight endztlso ere p oteetecl from the min, it is,

however, hot sti'ictly an essential condition.

While the targets might projeet outside of the top at all timesyImuehflprefer to have let them entirely unoleithe to j when withdrawn, li l l The tube 2 is 1 shown Fig. as being seem-ed bymeens of etIamp ZOto a bar 31 whiclrextend's'across the automobile top and connects thetwo side bars 30 of said top.

This rpositions the tubeg2 under and close to'; the bars 30 of the top.

The tube 2 is provided with a slot 21 extending lengthwise thereof,through whlch a handle,..as" l3,-passes and is secured tothe Thisslot 21has a stem 11 ,of the target.

portion thereof on an incline,'this inclinatarget stem 11 through anangle of 90, ,dur-,

tion being of suchfan extent as ,to turn the v ingvthe course of thereciprocation between the outer. and inner positions thereof. Preferablythis inclined. portion of the slot 'is adjacent to the end thereofwhich is toward the end of the tube. It is evident that thereciprocation of the target will cause a quar 'ter'turn' thereof andwith the inclined porr tion-of the slot positioned'as described, this ev most position of the target. In consequence,

quarter turn will take place-near the outer when the handle 13 is pushedinward, the

target. 1 w ill'be turned into a horizontal 'po .sition and then passbeneath the top 8;,

The stein '11, which is at the side, of the car occupied'by' theidriver,is shorter than the' corresponding steniwliicli is at the'opposite si'de'of' the car. 'The purpose'of this I isgto get the-handles foroperating'botli tari gets conveniently placed in front of the driven One';result' of this is that the inner endiof the stem' ll will have acomparatively;

short'bearing'in the tube 2, when the target To give this target aSomewhat bettersup- .por'tfwhenprojected, I have shown a rod '4: assecured within the inner end of the tube 11. This: rodlpasses through" asleeve 40 which is secured in fixed position within the tube 2; at apoint such that'theiiiher end of the rod .4 will not be withdrawnthere'- fro'1n{ when the target" I is, projected. This; rod 4 enters theinner'end of the tube llfor the other target-when this targetis' drawninward. By this expedient the two handles 13 for both targets maybe-placed' close together in front of and close'to the operator where hemay conveniently engage either i one.

"InlFi'gn 6 I have shown a inodificationin the construction of'theguiding slot in the tube 2.. In this ease'the slot 23 is straight,

. without a spiral twist. Atone end it, however, has aside extension 24"which permits movement.

cation of c'onstr'u'ction inwhich the slot 25 ss. 7 mas-1km indieatedlamOdifiin the outertube 2 is straight throughont'its length. Thestem14cofthe-target is' 'aro' vided with a g iding and turning memberwhich maybe a slot 15 in the stem It'or aprojecting rib, which has aquarter turn incline therein which has a guiding projection andengagement with either a key or a slot 16, which forms a part of acollar 17,

which latter is secured to the end of the tube 2.

In this type of construction a sleeve or collar 18 is placed about therod 4 and is free to turn thereon, while a short sleeve or collar 19 issecured to the rod 4:. There fore, the stem 14 ma have a turning movement relative to the ian'dle 13.

In connection with this signal I may pro- .v'i'd'eas'mall electriclight, as 6, which may be mounted at such point as to illuminate thetarget when it is projected. I have shown the current carrying leads 60and 61 as extending to a battery 62, one of these being, electricallyconnected with the tube 2 and the other to a contact block 63, which iscarried by, but insulated from, the rod 2. A contact blade 64c, carriedby the handle 13, makes contact with the block 63 when the target isprojected, and thus illuminates the taliget only when it is projected. a

n Fig 9 I have shown an alternative forin of mounting. In this case thetube 2 issecured in the same relative position by means of a brackethaving an arm 7 which is secured by a clamp, as 70, to a side bar of awindshield 8. This is braced by anarm 71 which is also secured tothe-wind shield and the tube is held in place b means of a clamp 7 2,which is compressed y bolts 73. The particular mechanism for securingthe device in place upon the car may be varied as necessary.

In Fig. 4c, 32 representsone of the side curtains. For withdrawal of thetarget within the curtains, it is necessary to provide an opening in theupper part of the curtain ofsuflicient size to permit its passage. Thismay beclosed by providing two small flaps 33, which join and overlap onthe=plane of the target and which will yield freely to permit passage ofthe target.

Tlie' operation of the device is evident. With the targets withdrawn, ifit is desired to turn to the left the driver will reach upward and throwthe target toward the left. It is impossible to operate the wron targetas the targets will not move from tieir in nerinost position in anydirection except out wardly. After the turn has been accomplished, thehandle is engaged and thrown back to its normal position. This may beconveniently done for both sides and after being done leaves both handsfree for handlingthe car.

The device, when attached to a car, is not particularly noticeable andnot at all objectionable. The target stays in whichever position it isset and the arts may all be made so that, while they will operatefreely, there must be no rattling.

The particular construction employed which includes the slot in the tubeand the operating handle passing through theslot and secured to thetarget stem, contributes both to simplicity and cheapness of manu:facture and places the operating handles in a convenient position forengagement by the river.

What I claim as m invention is:

1. In a traffic signa the combination with i handle projecting from eachof the signal carrying members through the slots of the tubular member,one of said signal carrying members being materially shorter than theother, and theshape of the slots being such as to impart a turningmovement to the signal carrying members.

)2. In a traflic signal the combination with a a tubular member adaptedto extend transversely across a vehicle top and having slots formedtherein adjacent its outer ends, of

signal carrying members slidably disposed in the tubular member andhaving telescopic engagement with each other, a handle projecting fromeach of the signal carrying members through the slots of the tubularmember, one of said signal carrying members being materially shorterthan the other to bring both of the handles materially nearer one end ofthe tubular member than the other. v

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 7th day of October, 1918.

HARRY M. GRINN ELL.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

